“I know grace rootheth not out the affections of a mother, but putteth them on His wheel who maketh all things new, that they may be refined; therefore sorrow for a dead child is allowed to you… He commandeth you to weep; and that princely One, who took up to heaven with Him a man’s heart to be a compassionate High Priest, became your fellow and companion on earth, by weeping for the dead (John 11:35)… The cup ye drink was at the lip of sweet Jesus, and He drank of it; and so it hath a smell of His breath. And I conceive ye love it not the worse, that it is thus sugared; therefore drink, and believe the resurrection of your son’s body…”
~Samuel Rutherford (1660-1661), from pp. 90-91 of “The Loveliness of Christ“
Saturday June 27, 2009
my usual:
the Bible – still going through the latter part of the New Testament, just starting 2 John
“Morning and Evening” by C.H. Spurgeon
“The Loveliness of Christ” by Samuel Rutherford
“The Hidden Art of Homemaking” by Edith Schaeffer
new additions:
“The Ache for a Child” by Debra Bridwell
“Empty Womb, Aching Heart” by Marlo Schalesky
“A Path Through Suffering” by Elisabeth Elliot
“When The Darkness Will Not Lift” by John Piper
what are you reading??
Saturday June 27, 2009
The following is from my dad, who memorized this quote by Edward Elton (1623). I pray to absorb this into my bones.
“It is so, that no creature in heaven, on earth, or in hell, can possibly break off or keep back God’s love from His children, or can make one who is beloved of God not beloved of Him, or less beloved of Him. Surely the due consideration of this shall yield thee matter of exceeding great comfort; therefore, think on it to thy comfort, whosoever thou art that hath evidence that thou art a child of God. Now, being beloved of God in special manner, thou shalt so continue forever.
It is not all the power and strength, or all the wit and skill and cunning and subtlety of all the creatures of heaven and earth and hell, if they all joined together as one, that could possibly break off or keep back God’s love from thee, or wrest thee out of the kind favor of God. Thou mayest lose all favor of men, either by thine own fault or by the malicious practice of envious men, thou mayest fall from the highest ranks of earthly powers, but thou mayest never be so poor that thou canst, in any way, lose God’s favor, neither by any thing done by others or by they self, God’s love being utterly unchangeable.
Not in any way can thou be wrested and wronged out of His love by any adversarial power, for He knows all things, and is stronger than all. He is able to keep thee safely in His love, though Satan personally with all his armies assail thee. God hath so far manifested His great love to thee in this, that He sent His only and dear Son to shed His blood for thee, and to suffer the pains of earth and hell for thee, and God shall never suffer the power of hell to draw thee out of His love. Assuredly, He will not!
Let, then, the devil and all the enemies of thy good do whatsoever they can against thee, and though the Lord suffer them to prevail far, to thrust thee out of house and home, to strip thee of health and wealth, of liberty and of all outward good things and means of comfort, yet God’s love they canst take from thee, nor lessen or diminish His love towards thee, nor make thee less beloved of Him, who once has been loved of Him. And, when thou art plunged into the deepest distress they can bring thee into, thou art still beloved of God, and still as dear to Him and as precious in His sight as ever thou wast, and that mayest be a sure ground of sweet comfort unto thee.
Think on it ever to thy comfort.”
Tuesday June 23, 2009
Lamentations 3:17-33
My soul is bereft of peace;
I have forgotten what happiness is;
so I say, “My endurance has perished;
so has my hope from the LORD.”
Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
the wormwood and the gall!
My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in Him.”
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
to the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
It is good for a man that he bear
the yoke in his youth.
Let him sit alone in silence
when it is laid on him;
let him put his mouth in the dust—
there may yet be hope;
let him give his cheek to the one who strikes,
and let him be filled with insults.
For the Lord will not
cast off forever,
but, though He cause grief, He will have compassion
according to the abundance of His steadfast love;
for He does not willingly afflict
or grieve the children of men.
Tuesday June 23, 2009
Now rest beneath night’s shadow
The woodland, field, and meadow,
The world in slumber lies;
But thou, my heart, awake thee,
To prayer and song betake thee;
In praise to God arise.
The radiant sun hath vanished,
His golden rays are banished
By night, the foe of day;
But Christ, the Sun of gladness,
Dispelling all my sadness,
Within my heart holds sway.
Now all the heav’nly splendor
Breaks forth in starlight tender
From myriad worlds unknown;
Thus I shall shine in heaven,
Where crowns of gold are given
To cast before Thy throne.
Lord Jesus, who dost love me,
Oh, spread Thy wings above me
And shield me from alarm!
Though evil would assail me,
Thy mercy will not fail me:
I rest in Thy strong arm.
~Paul Gerhardt, 1648 (translation composite)
This is one of the goodnight hymns for our children. We sing it in harmony and it just feels heavenly.
I love resting in the knowledge that three of my children are casting golden crowns before the throne of God,
and that for those of us left behind, the mercy and strength of Jesus will not fail us. Amen.
Tuesday June 23, 2009
~Samuel Rutherford quotes for my broken heart~
Why should I start at the plough of my Lord, that maketh deep furrows on my soul?
I know He is no idle husbandman, He purposeth a crop.
I know He is no idle husbandman, He purposeth a crop.
My shallow and ebb thoughts are not the compass Christ saileth by. I leave His ways to Himself, for they are far, far above me… There are windings and to’s and fro’s in His ways, which blind bodies like us cannot see.
I see grace groweth best in winter.
Faith is exceeding charitable, and believeth no evil of God.
If contentment were here, heaven were not heaven.
Send a heavy heart up to Christ, it shall be welcome.
The floods may swell and roar, but our ark shall swim above the waters;
it cannot sink, because a Saviour is in it.
~quotes dedicated to my three children in paradise: Covenant, Glory, and Promise~
Take no heavier lift of your children, than your Lord alloweth;
give them room beside your heart, but not in the yolk of your heart, where Christ should be;
for then they are your idols, not your bairns [children].
If your Lord take any of them home to His house before the storm come on, take it well,
the owner of the orchard may take down two or three apples off his own trees,
before midsummer, and ere they get the harvest sun;
and it would not be seemly that his servant, the the gardener, should chide him for it.
Let our Lord pluck His own fruit at any season He pleaseth;
they are not lost to you, they are laid up so well, as that they are coffered in heaven,
where our Lord’s best jewels lie.
give them room beside your heart, but not in the yolk of your heart, where Christ should be;
for then they are your idols, not your bairns [children].
If your Lord take any of them home to His house before the storm come on, take it well,
the owner of the orchard may take down two or three apples off his own trees,
before midsummer, and ere they get the harvest sun;
and it would not be seemly that his servant, the the gardener, should chide him for it.
Let our Lord pluck His own fruit at any season He pleaseth;
they are not lost to you, they are laid up so well, as that they are coffered in heaven,
where our Lord’s best jewels lie.
She is not sent away, but only sent before, like unto a star,
which going out of your sight, doth not die and vanish, but shineth in another hemisphere:
ye see her not, yet she doth shine in another country.
Men do lop the branches off their trees round about, to the end they may grow up high and tall.
The Lord hath this way lopped your branch, in taking from you many children,
to the end ye should grow upward, like one of the Lord’s cedars.
and my personal, oft-repeated favorite:
Go on and faint not, something of yours is in heaven,
beside the flesh of your exalted Saviour, and ye go on after your own.
beside the flesh of your exalted Saviour, and ye go on after your own.
Sunday June 21, 2009
Scripture says in Ecclesiastes that there is “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” ~ right now we weep and mourn, and we ask you to pray with us that we will be blessed with grace to laugh and dance.
May our good Lord and King have mercy upon us.
Today our fourth child, Promise Anastasis, has joined two older siblings in the ranks of heaven. Our hearts grieve heavily for the loss of our baby, and we look to our Heavenly Father for comfort in trial & hope for the future.
Promise ~ Acts 2:39 “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.“
Anastasis (Greek for Resurrection) ~ John 11:25-26 “Jesus said… ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.’“
Anastasis (Greek for Resurrection) ~ John 11:25-26 “Jesus said… ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.’“
Please weep, mourn, and pray with us. And may we look ahead together with eyes of faith to the promise God has given us of the inheritance waiting in heaven for us.
1 Peter 1:3-7
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Soli Deo gloria,
S & M & G
Thursday June 11, 2009
The following pieces have been encouraging to me the last few days. May they bless you all as well. ♥
“The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.”
Psalm 126:3
Psalm 126:3
Some Christians are sadly prone to look on the dark side of everything, and to dwell more upon what they have gone through than upon what God has done for them. Ask for their impression of the Christian life, and they will describe their continual conflicts, their deep afflictions, their sad adversities, and the sinfulness of their hearts, yet with scarcely any allusion to the mercy and help which God has vouchsafed them. But a Christian whose soul is in a healthy state will come forward joyously, and say, “I will speak, not about myself, but to the honor of my God. He hath brought me up out of an horrible pit, and out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings: and He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God. The Lord hath done great things for me, whereof I am glad.” Such an abstract of experience as this is the very best that any child of God can present. It is true that we endure trials, but it is just as true that we are delivered out of them. It is true that we have our corruptions, and mournfully do we know this, but it is quite as true that we have an all-sufficient Saviour, who overcomes these corruptions, and delivers us from their dominion. In looking back, it would be wrong to deny that we have been in the Slough of Despond, and have crept along the Valley of Humiliation; but it would be equally wicked to forget that we have been through them safely and profitably; we have not remained in them, thanks to our Almighty Helper and Leader, who has brought us “out into a wealthy place.” The deeper our troubles, the louder our thanks to God, who has led us through all, and preserved us until now. Our griefs cannot mar the melody of our praise; we reckon them to be the bass part of our life’s song, “He hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.”
Psalm 94:12, 15, 17-19
Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD,
and whom you teach out of your law,
to give him rest from days of trouble…
[J]ustice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
If the LORD had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD,
and whom you teach out of your law,
to give him rest from days of trouble…
[J]ustice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
If the LORD had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
(the following is written by Nicole Whitacre, from one of my new favorite blogs, GIRLTALK – be blessed)
“Our Burden Bearer”
“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah.” (Psalm 68:19)
I’ve been suffering from various mild ailments for what seems like a month now. This is an especially busy week for me and I have been tempted to self-pity over my lack of strength.
This morning my husband prayed this verse for me. The note from my Reformation Study Bible sent me to Isaiah 46:1-4. Here the Lord contrasts the “bearing ability” of idols to that of the One True God:
“Bel bows down; Nebo stoops; their idols are on beasts and livestock; these things you carry are borne as burdens on weary beasts. They stoop; they bow down together; they cannot save the burden, but themselves go into captivity. ‘Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.'”
What is your burden today? They come in countless shapes and sizes—from clingy colds to crushing cares. But one thing’s for sure: our idols cannot bear their load. Leisure and escape don’t provide true rest. Sinful anger cannot relieve the pressure. Even friends are not strong enough to bear up under their full weight.
But have we forgotten? We have been borne by Christ since birth. He carried us from the womb and will not stop even when we are old and bent and gray. He alone has borne the full weight of our sin, and He alone can bear the burdens of life in a sinful world.
He doesn’t pop in once a week or every month to relieve us of our heavy load. Daily, everyday, today, He promises to bear us up. He will carry and he will save. Today. So big or small, let’s cast our burdens on Him. God is our salvation.
“And yet this I desire Your Lordship to consider, as I know you do,
that religion is a greater honor and ornament to you than you are to it.”
that religion is a greater honor and ornament to you than you are to it.”
~I can’t remember who said this! yikes!
Friday June 5, 2009
Tonight with our dinner we had the first tastes of our garden – many varieties of baby lettuce, topped with baby beet greens.
So * Very * Delicious
So * Very * Delicious
Friday May 29, 2009
“Wisdom Doesn’t Worry“
by Mrs. Nancy Wilson
by Mrs. Nancy Wilson
Mothers seem especially good at worrying. We are designed to look after and care for our families, and so we are easily targeted to become worriers. But the problem with worrying is it is a complete waste of time. It accomplishes nothing good. As Jesus said, we can’t even get one hair to change color by worrying, so what makes us think worrying will keep our kids safe or pay the bills? It’s a futile activity.
But we must take some perverse pleasure in it, or else we wouldn’t do it. My own personal opinion is this: something happens that drives home to us how entirely dependent on God we are for our preservation, and the flesh panics and thinks something like, “You mean I’m not in charge? God is?” When the children are all safely tucked into their beds, we feel satisfied that we have everything under control. But when one of them is off on a skiing trip, or really sick, or driving in bad weather, we feel vulnerable. We can’t see them. We can’t protect them. These times are so very good for a mother’s soul. Realizing that our children and our grandchildren, the born and the unborn, are all completely, totally, absolutely, and perfectly in God’s hands should set us free from worry. If things really were in our hands and not in God’s hands, then we would have a reason to worry. But thanks be to God, that is not the case. We are all in His divine, omnipotent care. He has numbered our days. He orders our steps. The more we believe this with evangelical faith, the more we will be set free from worrying because we will see it for what it is — unbelief. God loves us and He loves our children more than we do. What a great relief and blessing the truth always is. Wisdom doesn’t worry.
This morning I had my first morning of “Mommy & Tots” at my house – the small group (I invited six ladies but there were only three of us this time) of mamas and their babes (in utero through age four) at which we will be fellowshipping, playing with our tots, eating something yummy (I made banana chocolate chip scones for today), and then reading something edifying & praying together. This (above) is one of the things we read today. We also read something about doing good to our husbands all of our days. And I read a G.K. Chesterton quote about how we don’t just teach our children something but everything – we don’t teach them a trade, we teach them about the entire world. I liked it. Anyway, the above article about worrying mamas was especially applicable to us. I think I need to read this article about six more times today. And again tomorrow. And maybe the next day. 🙂